QLD Floods

[Falco_Easts]

Some of you may not know of the disaster striking Queensland, Australia at the moment. We are undergoing some of the worst flooding in memory. Walls of water sweeping down city streets taking cars and even shipping containers along like toy boats.

For those not familiar with Australia, QLD is known as the sunshine state. It is home to tropical rainforest superb beaches and the Great Barrier Reef.

Below are some pictures of what happened in the town of Toowoomba yesterday afternoon. It was described as an inland Tsunami as a wave of water hit the town.









If you can spare anything at all, please donate at the website below. Every little bit helps in the recovery and all helps.

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html

[sirgog]

A friend of mine lives in one of the suburbs that has been evacuated (she's 100% fine and staying with friends). Hope everything goes well and you (and all those you care about) are and remain safe.


Oh and it's worth adding - Toowoomba, the town hit by the deadly floodwave, is 700 meters above sea level.

[Missing_Minds]

Dang... I knew about Toowoomba, but these pictures put the ones I saw to shame.

[Falco_Easts]

As of yesterday afternoon they have evacuated parts of Brisbane (the capital city of QLD) and cut power to the CBD.

[Sneakee]

As an Australian living in the USA, all I can say is **** ME!!!

This is terrible!! Downtown Brisbane flooding as well????

Thoughts going out to all Queenslanders (even though I'm a cockroach!!)

Looks like Northern NSW is gunna cop it as well...

As Dorothea McKeller put it:

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror –
The wide brown land for me!

[melkor1702]

I'm from Brisbane, so will add a little more.

Approximately 75% of the state is flooded or affected by the floods at the moment. When you consider Queensland has a land area of approximately 3 times the size of Texas in the US it gives an indication of how wide spread it is.

They are predicting the water levels to hit one peak at about 4am local time tomorrow morning (Thursday) with the peak being above the levels of the 1974 floods (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_Brisbane_flood)

Some haven't been so fortunately so far with 10 confirmed killed and 90 missing in the floodwaters.

Even Kangaroos that aren't alway so friendly are allowing themselves to be picked up and carried to higher ground.

We have a dam up river from the city built after the 74 floods that was to prevent it happening again. This dam is however almost over flowing and is releasing 490,000 megalitres (129444305108 gal (US)) a day into the river system.

More info and photos here http://www.couriermail.com.au/

Oh and at the moment, my family, friends and myself are ok and out of harms way, one of the benefits of living halfway up a hill.

[Auran82]

We have a dam up river from the city built after the 74 floods that was to prevent it happening again. This dam is however almost over flowing and is releasing 490,000 megalitres (129444305108 gal (US)) a day into the river system.

Last I heard the dam was at approx 170% capacity, and its not a small dam.

[lazylaz]

I've just been chatting with a mate in the States who has just discovered this disaster. He can't believe it hasn't been bigger news.

My thoughts don't usually get extended to Queenslanders in any positive way but this is just pure awful. I hope the count in Toowoomba and Ipswich isn't as bad as it might be.

[Hutoth]

most of my family's there, half of them evacuating right now.

i grew up in yeronga which will be pretty much underwater right now.

amazing / enthralling / horrifying

[Ashbinder]

I'm in Brisbane right now, specifically one of the suburbs. Thankfully we're above the flood line for now, and hope to stay that way.

If this had been last year before I moved, we would be underwater right now.

My wife was just offered a full time job in Toowoomba. We'd planned to make a day trip last Monday, but delayed it when I got called in to work.

If we hadn't delayed, we might all be dead or stranded. As it is, the job is off, since the shop is probably gone.

[Blank_Zero]

Oh and it's worth adding - Toowoomba, the town hit by the deadly floodwave, is 700 meters above sea level.

Quick inquiry from someone on the Imperial system still, but 700 meters ~ 2000 feet, yes?

[Winter_storm]

Australia was a place I've never been too but always liked and always wanted to visit one day. Its saddens me to see this here and on TV. I hope and pray that everyone stays safe, warm, never feel hunger, and always have a roof over your heads.

[TEcarson]

Quick inquiry from someone on the Imperial system still, but 700 meters ~ 2000 feet, yes?

Pretty close...yep.

Just read online that SUncorp Stadium in Brisbane is on fire, due to a short circuit caused by water meeting electricity.

Waiting to hear from some friends in Brisbane...

Tim (a Yank living in Oz)

[sirgog]

Quick inquiry from someone on the Imperial system still, but 700 meters ~ 2000 feet, yes?

2300 is more accurate.

I heard from my friend that's been evacuated, she's DJing at her evacuation centre.

[voxson5]

My thoughts go to all those affected by the flooding, I have family there & luckily they are ok.

[lazylaz]

Just read online that SUncorp Stadium in Brisbane is on fire, due to a short circuit caused by water meeting electricity.

See, normally that would make my heart sing but now it just feels sad. I'm generally optimistic about things but I just keep wondering if it can still get worse before it starts to get better.

[melkor1702]

Some good news, they have revised the missing figure to 69 but they have grave fears for the wereabouts of about 18 of those.

Authorities are warning that the missing figure is likely to go up and down over the next few days as those feared missing check in and others are reported missing.

[Falco_Easts]

[sirgog]

Some good news, they have revised the missing figure to 69 but they have grave fears for the wereabouts of about 18 of those.

Authorities are warning that the missing figure is likely to go up and down over the next few days as those feared missing check in and others are reported missing.

They just found two people alive that were missing and presumed dead. They were washed away by the inland wave in Toowoomba but miraculously survived.

[Sweetpea]

While i feel a huge amount of sympathy for the QLD ppl affected by this disaster, i would send my thoughts and prayers too to those in NSW that are currently being affected by floods there as well. Grafton (northern NSW) is currently cut off from both north and south with the highway being closed in both directions. The levy was reported to be only 20cms (less then a foot) above the water about 2 hours ago. If that levy is breached most of the town will go under to some extent.

If you can spare anything, there are hundreds of ppl who have no home left to return to when the floods go down, 1000s are homeless and living in emergency accommodation across SE QLD, please donate if you can:

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html